Fatal West Bank car blast blamed on Israel

Two Palestinians were killed in the West Bank town of Nablus today when a blast blamed on Israel destroyed their car.

Two Palestinians were killed in the West Bank town of Nablus today when a blast blamed on Israel destroyed their car.

Two people in the street were also injured in the explosion, medics said.

Palestinian sources and witnesses at the scene said a pilotless observation plane was overflying the area when the explosion happened.

They also said that one of the victims was said to be a member of the radical Islamic movement Hamas and was wanted by Israeli forces.

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A Palestinian security official accused Israel of "boobytrapping the car and blowing it up by remote control".

The car had Israeli licence plates with a Jerusalem number, an AFPreporter at the scene said, and was blown up in the west of Nablus, in the Wadi al-Tufa area.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Mr Saeb Erakat, speaking from Ramallah, said the explosion was "a war crime reflecting Israel's desire to carry on its assassinations which are aimed at destroying the Palestinian people.

"The Israeli government bears responsibility for the consequences of this action," he said.

AFP